I  have been thinking about why so many people are different online than they are offline. They do things on Twitter, that they simply would not do in the offline world. So, you are at a cocktail party, you overhear some people talking about the need to sell more products, and that business is tough… Please tell me that you would not head straight over to them, hand them your business card, and tell them to visit your website, where you have an amazing eBook for $20 that will solve all their problems.

You would not do that in real life, so why do so many people do exactly that on Twitter? Why, when they discover a conversation where they can help, immediately send over a message telling that person that they have the solution. Its on their website and it only costs $not much…

Now, imagine that you are at the same cocktail party, but this time, you simply get up on the table, and start shouting to everyone that you are a top business adviser and that you can help all there gain more business. You may shout as much as you like, but I doubt anyone will be listening, and you will probably be asked to leave.

So again, why do people do exactly that on Twitter. They turn up and simply start shouting about what they do to everyone an anyone. Well you know what.. No one is listening….How do you feel when someone adopts this type of approach… Exactly, you run a mile… So why do you then do it…

Back to the party… As you walk in, someone says a simple Hello… You reply.. thanks.. and offer them a free review of their website as a thank you for simply saying hello…What a load of tosh..Please assure me that you would not do that…

So, why do that on Twitter? Why send them an auto direct message thanking them for following you and telling them that as a thank you you are offering them a discount on your services… You at this stage have no idea who or what they are, have no idea as to their needs, issues, and certainly have not developed any form of relationship with them.

So.. come on folks, in my opinion there is no difference between how you act in the offline world and the online world. Get to know people, build trust, get to know about them, and then if appropriate mention that you have some stuff on your site that could possibly help them. Surely thats the right way to do things?

Agree / disagree…. I would love to hear your thoughts and please feel free to comment below..

One of the things that I find very odd, is that companies allow their staff to answer the phones, use the email, give out business cards, all representing the company… But suddenly when it comes to Twitter.. Oh no.. We have to oursource that or your all banned from using it.. We dont want any of our staff going onto Twitter and saying something that may ruin or effect our business… What a load of tosh…

Your staff are your greatest asset, and you should treat them as such. If you have a large workforce, then just think of the visibility your brand, product or service could get if all of them were tweeting.. Now please dont get me wrong, I am not suggesting that they all abandon their day jobs and utilise Twitter instead.. But, done properly and in an orderly fashion, the benefits could be huge…

The first thing, in my view is to stop the crazy idea of banning access to Twitter. Staff can access it on their phones and will just find other ways to do it instead.. Instead welcome it and harness it. So, make an announcement that it is totally cool for all to tweet, but that there is a policy that they must adhere to.. Train them how to be effective with their time, and how to utilise the tools to make best use of their time. You may also consider having each of them be the company tweeter for a set period of time… This I hope would even involve senior management as well as the CEO…

You should also have a uniform Twitter name so that your brand is continually represented. Now, here is the fun bit.. If each of these new accounts got 1000 followers and there were 50 accounts, then suddenly you have access to a potential 50,000 people. People who may well advocate for you, and refer you. Think also how this may effect recruitment. New people could hear from employees on what it is actually like to work for the company.. Again if handled correctly this should be a massive win:win for all.

Now I can already hear the moan and groan of bosses not wanting to risk their businesses on their staff doing stuff that they should not. There are probably a million ‘what ifs’ that could happen… But you know what, to me it all comes down to training, support, and encouragement, with a provision of clear guidelines for each to follow…

What do you think? Do you let your staff tweet about your business? Or do you simply ban them access? Please comment, I would love to hear from you…